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Picked a flat fee plumber over hourly and saved $300 on a toilet replacement
My toilet started running nonstop last month in my Cleveland bungalow and I called two plumbers for quotes. One guy wanted $85 an hour plus parts, said it'd probably take 3-4 hours. The other guy quoted a flat $150 for the whole job including the flapper and fill valve. Went with the flat fee guy and he had it done in 45 minutes. Ended up paying $150 total compared to the $350-$400 the hourly guy would've cost me. Has anyone else tried flat rate plumbing vs hourly for small fixes around here?
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rubyshah22d ago
Yeah exactly, flat fee is the way to go for something straightforward like a toilet rebuild. I've learned the hard way that hourly guys will find ways to stretch a 30 minute job into two hours if they can. Just gotta make sure the flat fee quote covers all the parts and any unexpected hiccups before you agree to it. I always ask flat rate guys straight up what happens if they find a cracked toilet or something worse once they start digging in. Most will tell you they just quote for the known work and you'd renegotiate if it turns into a bigger mess. That's fair but you gotta know that going in so there's no surprises.
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clairen8522d ago
People are catching on to how these trades charge for their time now. It's like the whole economy shifted to this flat fee model for a reason. Hourly rates just incentivize them to drag their feet and find extra problems. You see the same thing with mechanics, some lawyers, even some doctors now. Flat fee makes them actually efficient because their profit depends on finishing fast. It's a smarter way to buy services when you know exactly what needs done. Your $300 savings is proof the old hourly system was ripping people off.
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